Taunton Turnpike Trust                 (updated 23rd Sept 2013)

This trust was created in 1752 as a town centred trust. Its main responsibilities were (a) a section of the main post road running to the Devon border (b) main feeder roads for routes through mid-Somerset towards Devon (c) a network of roads leading into the market town from west Somerset.

 

J House of Commons - Reports

Taunton Roads

25 Geo II Parl 4 Sess 5; A 1751-52

A Petition for a bill to repair roads leading from Taunton, refer to Committee 8 Jan

A petition of the principal inhabitants, gentlemen, clergy and freeholders, residing in or near, the town of Taunton, in County of Somerset, whose names are thereto subscribed was presented to the house and read setting forth ; That the highways leading from Taunton thru the parishes of Taunton St James, Staplegrove and Norton Fitzwarren and Bishops Liddeard to Handy Cross in the Parish of Liddeard St Lawrence;

And also the Highway leading from Langford Bridge in Parish of Staplegrove thru Parish of Norton Fitzwarren to Heathfield, to the town of Milverton and to Parish of Barne in Milverton;

And Highway from Taunton thru Parish of Westmonkton, Ruiston, Thorne Faulcon, Westhatch, Hatchbeacham. Abbots Isle and Broadway to Ashill Gate in Parish of Ashill

And highway from Maddocks Tree in Parish of Thorne Faulcon thru North Curry and Tything of Stoke and Curry Mallett to the Red Post in the Parish of Fivehead;

And Highway from the Quacker’s Burying Ground in Parish of Westmonkton thru Parish of Crech St Michael to the Green Dragon in Parish of Thurloxton;

And Highway from Walford Inn in Parish of West Monkton to Athelney Bridge in Parish of Lyng;

And Highway from Taunton thru Wilton and Bishops Hull by the church and the Parish of Trull, Bradford and West Buckland and Wellington to White Ball in Parish of Sampford Arundell;

And Highway from The New Angel in Taunton thru Parish of Wilton, Trull and Pitminster over Bleigdon Hill to the beginning of Trickey Warren in Parish of Church Taunton (Devon)

And Highway from Taunton thru Parish of Orchard, Portman, Stoke St Mar and Thurlbear to Staple Pound in Parish of Staple Fitzpaine;

And Highway from Taunton St James thru Kingstone to the corner of Mr Coles Wall in Parish of Broomfield and from Row Barton in Parish of Taunton St James thru Parish of Cheddon, Fitzpaine and Kingstone before Hestercombe Park Gate and from thence to the Directing Post beyond Yards Barn in Parish of Broomfield

Are become so ruinous and bad in the winter season that the same cannot, by the ordinary course appointed by Laws and statutes of this realm, be sufficiently repaired and amended without the further assistance of Parliament; and therefore to the end that the said highways may be well an efficiently repaired and amended and kept in good and sufficient repair for the safety of all his Majesty’s subjects whose business requires their travel thru the said highways leave to bring a bill

rept 10; read 27; committee 3 Feb

 

Petition of Samuel Walker of Burlescombe (Devon) and others, landowners, farmers and occupiers of land in Devon and Somerset; and carriers of Culm and Abbey coal used for burning of lime in those parts; set forth that not only in the neighbourhood of Burlescombe ( 11 miles west of Taunton) but for an extent of many miles and especially to West and South, the lands are chiefly manured with lime and that large tracts of that county will receive no benefit from any other manure and that the occupiers are for the most part supplied therewith from certain kilns in Burlescombe and neighbouring parishes, belonging to Samuel Walker, where there is a vast rock of limestone and that the fuel used in burning the lime is a species of coal, or mineral, called Culm, alone or mixture with other coal, and then called Abbey Coal, both imported from Wales to Bridgewater and from thence conveyed up the River Tone to a place called Ham Mills, but the greatest part is carried on to Taunton, from which places it is brought by single horses to the kiln; and the consumption of Culm, in burning the lime at those kilns is so extraordinary that it furnishes continual employment for more than a hundred farmer, keeping the drifts of horses, and renting estates of different values in that neighbourhood, solely for the purpose; who being thus constantly employed, bring it from Taunton at so low prices as 9d and 10.5d, according to the distance of the several kilns, for each horseload, with a small addition for what is bought from Ham Mills, which lie beyond Taunton, and by such means only are enabled to pay their rents; and that these kilns are situate at the distance of between 2 or 3 miles from the Great Road leading from Taunton, by in the said Culm pass; and that the way from that road to the said kilns is craggy, that it is incapable of any other conveyance.

In case of bill being passed, any tolls or duty should be payable for horses or beasts carrying Culm and Abbey coals it would be impossible for the carriers to continue bringing it at the present prices and if they should be raised (which the nature of the business will barely admit) of consequence the price of lime must be enhanced and a great discouragement ensue to the improvement of lands in these parts.

And alleging that any increase in the great expense that the occupiers are obliged to be for this manure

Petitioners pray for relief

com 7 – all who come to have voices 10;

rept 17;  Committee found allegations true and amended the bill – exempting horses carrying Culm from tolls

ingrossed 19; passed 27; lords 5 mar; Royal Ascent 26.

 

List of Acts

Taunton

 

25 Geo2 c54

1752

 

 

 

18 Geo3 c97

1778

 

 

 

39 Geo3

1799

 

 

 

57 Geo3

1817

1838

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expired

 

 

1875

Taunton 1799

An Act for altering, enlarging, and repealing some of the Provisions in an Act, passed in the Eighteenth Year of the Reign of His present Majesty, for repairing several Roads leading from the Town of Taunton, and other Roads adjoining thereto, in the County of Somerset; and also for extending the Provisions of the said Act, to a Road from Tucker's Gate, in the Parish of Lyng, to Piper's Inn, in the Parish of Ashcott, in the said County of Somerset. [13th June 1799.]

 

Select Committee on State of Roads 1840

William Kinglake of Wilton (clerk to the trust) reported

There are 81 miles of road through 45 parishes – all repaired by the trustees, except for 12 miles 3 furl repaired by parishes

21 toll gates and 1 side bar

The roads are stated to be in “good” repair – no part under indictment for want of repair.

 

In “Return of length of road in each Turnpike Trust in England & Wales” Parl. Papers 1847-48 – (dated May 1848)

Trust reported 78 miles 6 furl. 0 yds (2 miles less than in 1840)

List of Roads

(roads identified and mapped in “Somerset Roads – the Legacy of Turnpike, by Bentley and Murless 1985”)

 

Click here for a map of Somerset Turnpike Roads

Click here for a map of Taunton Turnpike Roads

Click here to return to Turnpikes Home

 

Return to Turnpikes in Somerset general page

 

Known Tollhouses (extracts from Tollhouse National database) 21 sites identified of the 21 reported by the Trust in 1840 (survivors in bold)

Road Classification Number

Route

GATE NAME

OS Grid Ref- Prefi

Easting

Northing

District

Civil Parish

Location (Name or Number)

Road or Street (see across)

Position

Evidence

Revised 23rd Sept 2013

A361

 Ashcott to Taunton

Piper's Inn

ST

42

36

SOSG

ASHCOTT

nr Pedwell Brewery, Pipers Inn (proposal 1824)

 

; ; 1865 acounts;

A361

Taunton to Street

Greylakes Foss

ST

403

354

SOSG

GREINTON

Greylake Foss

(on other side of road to promising cottage restored beside old Greylakes pub)

OS 1st Series; ; toll advert 1822; 1865 acounts;

Taunton to Street

Peddle Drove

ST

4

4

SOSG

GREINTON

??

 

 

; ; toll advert 1822;

A361

Taunton to Street

Blindman's

ST

385

321

SOSG

OTHERY

Kings Sedgemoor , jct of road to Middlezoy & Bridgwater

 

OS 1st Series; ; 1865 acounts, Survey book;

A361

Taunton to Street

Burrowbidge

ST

3573

3041

SOTA

BURROWBRIDGE

edge of the levels

 

 

; ; toll advert 1822; 1865 acounts;

A378

Taunton to Langport

Wrantage

ST

319

231

SOTA

CURRY MALLET

Wrantage, Newport turn

 

 

; ; 1865 acounts;

A361 (was on A38)

Taunton to Street

Walford

ST

29068

28060

SOTA

DURSTON

May Tree Cottage

Main Street, Higher Durston, opp. Church (was moved from Walford Cross)

at the cross roads in the centre of the village (was at ST 282  282)

OS 1st Series; ; 1865 acounts;

A358

Taunton to Ilminster

Chapland

ST

302

189

SOTA

HATCH BEAUCHAMP

Capland

 

 

; ; Inspector's Book 1819;

UC road (was A38)

Wellington to Tiverton

White Ball or Beam Bridge

ST

1082

1933

SOTA

SAMPFORD ARUNDEL

Sampford Gate

Beam Bridge (cut off section of Pinksmoor Lane)

back up old section of road from the large PH, north of the railway bridge and at old road junction

OS 1st Series; Greenwood Devon (1827); 1865 acounts;

B3170

Taunton to Corfe

Silver Street

ST

2321

2427

SOTA

TAUNTON

Toll House, No.59

Silver Street

attached to large town house, beside pedestrian crossing

; ; 1865 acounts;

UC road

Taunton to Bridgewater

Spittle (East)

ST

2482

2493

SOTA

TAUNTON

The Old Turnpike

Bridgwater Road

was at Splat Farm (minor jct ST 243 248))

OS 1st Series; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts; 1865 accounts;

UC road (was A38)

Wellington to Taunton

Shuttern (South)

ST

2228

2421

SOTA

TAUNTON

Shuttern roundabout

assume the actual TH was at the jct of Trull Road and Wellington Road; trustees met in what became Ete Hospital

; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts; 1865 accounts; survey book;

B3170

Taunton to Shoreditch

Folly

ST

234

240

SOTA

TAUNTON

South Road

 

 

; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts; 1865 accounts;

UC road

Taunton to Kingston St Mary

Rowbarton

ST

2205

2549

SOTA

TAUNTON

Staplegrove

junction of Staplegrove Road and Chip Lane.

 

; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts; 1865 accounts;

UC road

Taunton to Holway

Holway

ST

24

24

SOTA

TAUNTON

Holway Road

 

 

; ; 1792 accounts;

UC road

 

Wild Oak (South)

ST

23

24

SOTA

TAUNTON

Mountway

 

 

; ; 1865 acounts;

UC road (was A38)

Wellington to Taunton

Quaker's Burial Ground

ST

248

248

SOTA

TAUNTON

Quaker's Burial Ground at jct of Bridgwater and Langport Roads

 

; ; 1865 acounts;

A358

Taunton to Minehead

Langford (Staplegrove)

ST

20

27

SOTA

TAUNTON

Langford

 

 

; ; 1865 acounts;

UC road

Taunton to Milverton

Frizehill (or Fairwater)

ST

220

255

SOTA

TAUNTON

Frieze Hill (S of Staplegrove)

 

 

; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts; 1865 accounts; survey book;

UC road (was A38)

Wellington to Taunton

Wellington

ST

146

214

SOTA

WELLINGTON

Cade's Farm

 

 

OS 1st Series; ; toll advert 1822; 1865 accounts;

UC road (was A358)

Taunton to Ilminster

Mare Elm

ST

295

218

SOTA

WEST HATCH

Meare Elm Cross

 

 

; ; toll advert 1822; 1792 accounts;

 

Known Milestones

In the Milestone Society Database, only 9 milestones are identified along this road, mostly on the A361 and UC roads, most in a designs referred to as Taunton plate. Based on the mileage reported by the Trust in 1840, would expect 81.